Cassidy + Ashton wins Royal Town Planning Institute’s planning excellence award
Cassidy + Ashton’s planning team has been awarded North West Mid-size Planning Consultancy of the Year at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence.
The awards celebrate the region’s best planning projects, teams and individuals and the North West celebration was held at the Kimpton Clocktower in Manchester on Thursday, June 19.
Following the regional victory, the team will now hope to go forward to the RTPI’s national Awards for Planning Excellence finals, with the winners announced at the end of the year.
The judges’ feedback highlighted the growth from a single planner, when the team was launched around 20 years ago, to its current seven members of staff operating from the firm’s Preston and Chester offices and delivering projects across the North West, North Wales and rest of the country.
The judges said: “The team’s expertise and skillsets are evident through a range of both private sector and public sector experience, which has helped foster professional growth and collaboration.”
The judges also commended Cassidy + Ashton’s ‘passion for planning’ and track record
of delivering ‘successful and socially responsible projects through innovative approaches to town planning’.
“The team’s ability to tackle complex challenges, especially in heritage and social housing projects stood out, as did their commitment to genuine community engagement,” said the feedback. “The integration of sustainability and climate-conscious strategies, especially in the adaptation of historic buildings, further strengthened their approach to responsible planning.”
The entry included work on notable schemes such as Troutbeck, a £10m affordable housing development in Blackpool as well as the Xplore! Science Discovery Centre in Wrexham.
Guy Evans, director and planning lead – Chester said: “This award is a real culmination of the team’s growth over the past 20 years. Between us, we have a diverse skillset of more than 60 years’ combined experience across heritage buildings, affordable schemes, manufacturing facilities and educational establishments.
“It was heartening to be able to celebrate that together and gain this recognition among so many other brilliant companies and individuals operating across the region.”
Alban Cassidy, director and planning lead – Preston, Cassidy + Ashton said: “Winning an award from such a prestigious organisation in the UK planning industry highlights the hard-work and professionalism our team displays on a daily basis and the top-quality service we provide to clients. It’s another milestone in the firm’s ongoing growth.
“We’re looking forward to what the future holds as we continue to develop our planning team and support vital regeneration and development projects, working with developers and local authorities from across the region and the rest of the country.”
